How to find a research mentor

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This article offers guidance and resources for high school student research
Two Strategies for Success

Two strategies can reduce this challenge.

First, seek labs, not individuals. In many universities, each professor heads a lab to research a specific topic—like smoking, emotions, memory. Students can ask for details to join that lab, and work with others on common projects. For example, students who check Fordham University can find a roster of 19 psychology labs that promote student research in their quest for new knowledge. There is also the Fordham Institute, which encourages student research on diverse “social issues” (Takooshian, 2013), and can result in student presentations (Bhatta, Oo, & Takooshian, 2020) or publications (Takooshian & Weis, 2021).

Second, distinguish between two very different types of research: “student-based” (where the student starts with a specific question) and “faculty-based” (where the student is open to the mentor’s topics). While some students seek an expert on their pre-chosen question, this is more challenging than asking to work with a mentor on a new aspect of the mentor’s own topics (Takooshian, 1993).

Resources for Students

Emily Leary Chesnes, an APA staff member whose portfolio is focused on high school psychology, shared several helpful resources for high school researchers and their teachers.  Several of these resources support high school teachers in mentoring their own students.

• Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS): Each year, nearly 1,900 students enter this competition, submitting original research in critically important scientific fields of study. Unique among high school competitions, the Regeneron STS focuses on identifying, inspiring, and engaging the most promising scientists among the nation’s high school seniors.
• Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF): This annual precollege competition brings together over 1,800 students from across the globe to compete for almost $8 million in total awards. ISEF is the largest global pre-college STEM competition. APA participates in ISEF as a Special Awards Organization each year to recognize outstanding projects in psychological science.
  

• APA website of Science Fairs, Clubs, and Student Research: This site provides resources on science fairs and psychology clubs.
• Conducting Psychological Research for Science Fairs: A Teacher’s Guide and Resource Manual: This guide was written to empower psychology teachers to mentor their students in conducting original psychological research that could be entered into a local, regional, or national science fair competition.
  

APA Guidelines on Student Research:

• Ethical conduct of behavioral projects involving human participants by high school students:  These guidelines address ethical conduct of behavioral projects for high school students; they also review ethical principles underlying human research participant protections and federal regulations related to student research.
• Use of nonhuman animals in behavioral projects in schools (K-12): This resource, which is currently pending revision, provides educators with guidelines for how to supervise and teach ethical research practices for experiments involving nonhuman animals.
• APA’s Online Psychology Laboratory (OPL):  OPL provides both students and educators with highly interactive resources in order to cultivate interest and understanding around psychology and psychological research.
• APA High School Student Affiliate Membership: High school students can join APA and receive benefits including APA’s Monitor on Psychology magazine.
• Why Should I Take High School Psychology?:This video and website feature the benefits of studying psychology in high school.
• Psychology Student Network (PSN)newsletter: This biannual newsletter features articles, announcements, and book reviews for high school and undergraduate students.  You can subscribe to the newsletter for free online. In addition, you can also subscribe to PSN, a new listserv that offers time-sensitive announcements about news and opportunities.
  

In August of 2022, after consulting with several experts on student research, we three created and posted a new 30-minute video to benefit high school researchers (Takooshian & Caballo, 2022).  You can watch this video online here.  If you watch this video, we invite your feedback through this survey found here.  Based on viewers’ anonymous comments, we hope to find funding for a more in-depth video or online workshop to assist high school researchers and their teachers. With luck, high school research will flourish, when students are better able to find a mentor.

From:https://www.apa.org/ed/precolleg ... ogy/research-mentorBy Harold Takooshian, PhD, and Brian CaballoDate created: November 22, 2022